(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a housing assembly for submarine cable joints.
The term "cable" is used hereinafter to include electrical cables, fibre optic cables, hose bundles or any combinations thereof. For example a single cable may include hoses carrying hydraulic fluids, insulated metallic conductors for electric power requirements, and metallic conductors or optical fibres for communication purposes. The cable also includes external armouring wires or tapes.
Such cables, and particularly joints in such cables, are required to withstand considerable longitudinal stresses when being laid in open sea conditions, or being lowered drom oil rigs, whilst at the same time they must resist very high compressive forces when in situ at great depths.
(2) Description of Related Art
Traditionally housings for submarine cable joints have been fabricated from machined steel tubes which incorporate (if required) steel armour anchorages, adjustable load collars, threaded end caps, and are filled with filling compound after the joint has been made and the housing secured in place. The tensile load on the joint is transferred from the armouring via the load collars to the steel casing. The filling compound serves to prevent any moisture entering the steel casing reaching the cable joints within the housing assembly. Such steel housings are expensive and heavy to handle.